INTERSTATE 65 IN ALABAMA

'Interstate 65' begins its northward journey across the United States in Mobile, generally traveling northward through several states before ending in Gary, Indiana.

Contents

Route description

Major cities

Exit list

Planned Projects

Route description

I-65 starts in Mobile at Interstate 10, not far from the Gulf of Mexico. It briefly runs north, intersecting with Interstate 165 and crossing the Alabama River delta after turning northeastward. En route to Montgomery, it passes county seats Evergreen (Conecuh County) and Greenville (Butler County). At Montgomery, it intersects the southern terminus of Interstate 85 and again crosses the Alabama River via a sliver of land between the river's meanders.
At Chilton County, I-65 enters the Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman Combined Statistical Area. Approximately halfway between Montgomery and Birmingham, it passes Clanton (Chilton County seat), where the water tower, visible from the road, is shaped and painted to resemble a huge peach.
I-65 intersects Interstate 459 in Hoover, then passes through the cities of Vestavia Hills and Homewood, which often generate heavy traffic. As the interstate passes by downtown Birmingham, south-bound travelers have a view of the Vulcan statue atop Red Mountain. At the north edge of downtown, I-65 intersects Interstates 20 and 59 with a cross-over interchange, often called Malfunction Junction.
North of Birmingham, I-65 performs a unique scrape-intersection with U.S. 31. The incomplete Interstate 22 from Memphis, Tennessee is expected to intersect there with the most expensive interchange in Alabama history, consisting of approximately 14 bridges. The interstate then continues 98 miles in the general direction of Huntsville, passing the city of Cullman on the way. The interstate later passes Decatur before crossing the Tennessee River on a 2.6 mile bridge. The interstate emerges again into the fringes of Decatur, in an open area of seemingly "endless" cotton fields where it intersects, inside Decatur, with Alabama State Highway 20, Alternate U.S. 72, and the spur-route, Interstate 565 to Huntsville.
Between Walkers Chapel Road in Fultondale and the Tennessee River in Limestone County, I-65 has been designated the "Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway". The sign designating the north end of this portion of road cites Reagan's speech in Decatur on July 4, 1984. The interstate then continues towards the state line, passing Athens and intersecting with U.S. Route 72. At the state line, the southbound lanes receive a welcome center, complete with a Saturn I rocket.

Major cities

'Bolded' cities are officially-designated control cities.

★ 'Mobile'

★ 'Montgomery'

★ Hoover

★ 'Birmingham'

★ Warrior

★ Cullman

★ Decatur

★ 'Huntsville' (via I-565)

★ 'Nashville, Tennessee'

Exit list

County	Location	Exit #	Destinations	Notes
20 px southern terminus: 20 px Interstate 10 in Mobile
Mobile	Mobile	1	U.S. Route 90 (Government Boulevard)
		3	Airport Boulevard	Exit to reach Mobile Regional Airport
		4	Dauphin Street
		5A	Springhill Avenue
		5B	U.S. Route 98 (Moffett Road)
	Prichard	8	U.S. Route 45 - Prichard, Citronelle
		9	I-165 South - Prichard, Downtown Mobile
		10	West Lee Street
	Saraland	13	2 px AL 158/AL 213 Citronelle, Saraland
		15	Citronelle, Saraland
		19	U.S. Route 43 - Satsuma, Creola
		22	Sailor Road
Mobile-Baldwin county line		20 px crosses the Mobile River, Little Lizard Creek and the Tensaw River
Baldwin		31	AL 225 - Stockton, Spanish Fort
		34	AL 59 - Bay Minette, Stockton
		37	AL 287 (Gulf Shores Parkway) - Bay Minette, Rabun
		45	Rabun, Perdido
Escambia		54	Escambia County Route 1	No municipalities listed on sign
		57	AL 21 - Atmore, Uriah
		69	AL 113 - Flomaton, Wallace
		77	AL 41 - Brewton, Repton
Conecuh		83	Castleberry, Lenox
		93	U.S. Route 84 - Evergreen, Monroeville
		96	AL 83 - Evergreen, Midway
		101	Conecuh County Highway 29 - Owassa
Butler		107	Grace, Garland
		114	25 px AL 106 - Georgiana, Starlington
	Greenville	128	AL 10 - Greenville, Pine Apple	Truckers wishing to access AL 10 East take I-65 north to Exit 130.
		130	20 px 2 px 25 px AL 10 Truck Bypass East/AL 185 - Greenville	Access to Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Truckers exit here to access AL 10 East.
Lowndes		142	25 px AL 185 - Fort Deposit, Logan
		151	AL 97 - Letohatchee, Davenport
		158	20 px 20 px Lowndes County Route 6/To U.S. Route 31 - Pintlala, Tyson
Montgomery	Montgomery	164	U.S. 31 - Pintlala, Hope Hull
		167	U.S. Route 80 West - Selma	U.S. 80 joins northbound and exits southbound.
		168	20 px 2 px 20 px 2 px 25 px 2 px 25 px 2 px 2 px 25 px 2 px 25 px U.S. 80 East/U.S. Route 82 East/To U.S. Route 231/To U.S. Route 331 (South Boulevard)	U.S. 80 leaves northbound and joins southbound. U.S. 82 joins northbound and exits southbound.
		169	Edgemont Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance only.
		170	Fairview Avenue
		171	I-85 North - Atlanta	Southern terminus of I-85. Exit to reach downtown Montgomery, Alabama State University and Auburn University.
		172	Herron Street	Northbound exit and south/north entrances. Exit to reach downtown Montgomery and Maxwell Air Force Base.
		172	Clay Street	Southbound exit and north/south entrances. Exit to reach downtown Montgomery and Maxwell Air Force Base.
Montgomery-Elmore county line		20 px 2 px 20 px crosses the Alabama River
Elmore		173	25 px 2 px 25 px 2 px 25 px AL 152 East/To U.S. 231 (North Boulevard)	Exit to reach northern Montgomery.
		176	AL 143 North - Millbrook, Coosada
	Millbrook	179	U.S. 82 West - Millbrook, Prattville	U.S. 82 exits northbound and joins southbound.
		181	AL 14 - Prattville, Wetumpka	Exit to reach Millbrook and Coosada.
Autauga		186	U.S. 31 - Pine Level, Prattville
Chilton		200	Chilton County Route 59 - Verbena
	Clanton	205	20 px 2 px 20 px U.S. 31/AL 22 - Clanton, Lake Mitchell
		208	Lake Mitchell Road
		212	AL 145 - Clanton, Lay Dam
		219	Jemison, Thorsby
Shelby	Calera	228	AL 25 (University of Montevallo Highway) - Montevallo, Calera	Exit to reach the University of Montevallo.
		231	U.S. 31 - Saginaw
		234	Shelby County Airport
		238	U.S. 31 - Alabaster
	Pelham	242	Shelby County Route 52 - Pelham, Helena
		246	AL 119 (Cahaba Valley Road)	Exit to reach Oak Mountain State Park and Verizon Music Center Amphitheater.
	Hoover	247	Shelby County Route 17 (Valleydale Road)
Jefferson		250	I-459 - Atlanta, Gadsden, Tuscaloosa
		252	U.S. 31 (Montgomery Highway)
		254	Alford Avenue
	Homewood	255	Lakeshore Drive	Exit to reach Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and Samford University.
		256	Oxmoor Road, Homewood	Northbound exit.
		256B	Oxmoor Road	Southbound exit.
		256A	Oxmoor Road	Southbound exit.
	Birmingham	258	Green Springs Avenue
		259A	AL 149 (University Boulevard)	Northbound exit and south/north entrances. Exit to reach the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
		259A	6th Avenue South	Southbound exit and north/south entrances. Exit to reach the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
		259	4th Avenue South	Southbound exit only. Northbound entrance from 3rd Avenue South.
		260	6th Avenue North	Southbound exit and northbound entrance. Exit to reach downtown Birmingham.
		260B	2 px U.S. Route 11/U.S. Route 78 (3rd Avenue North)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance. Exit to reach Legion Field and downtown Birmingham.
		261A	2 px I-20 East/I-59 North - Gadsden, Atlanta
		261B	2 px I-20 West/I-59 South - Tuscaloosa
		262A	16th Street North	Northbound exit and southbound entrance.
		262B	20 px U.S. 78 (Finley Boulevard)
		263	32nd Avenue
		264	41st Avenue North
		266	U.S. 31 - Fultondale
		267	Walker Chapel Road	Exit to reach Fultondale.
	Gardendale	271	Fieldstown Road
		272	Mt. Olive Road
		275	Mary Buckelew Parkway
	Warrior	280	U.S. 31 - Kimberly, Warrior	Exit to reach Morris.
		281	Dana Road
		282	Cane Creek Road
Blount	Smoke Rise	284	2 px U.S. 31 South/AL 160 East - Cleveland, Hayden	Exit to reach Rickwood Caverns State Park.
		287	U.S. 31 North - Blount Springs, Garden City
		289	Blount County Route 5 - Empire, Blount Springs
Cullman		291	AL 91 - Hanceville, Colony	Exit to reach Arkadelphia.
		299	AL 69 South/Cullman County Route 490 - Jasper	Exit to reach Dodge City. AL 69 joins northbound and exits southbound.
		304	AL 69 North/Cullman County Route 437 - Cullman, Good Hope	AL 69 leaves northbound and joins southbound.
	Cullman	308	U.S. Route 278 - Cullman, Double Springs
		310	AL 157 - Cullman, Moulton	Exit to reach Florence.
Morgan		318	U.S. 31 - Vinemont, Lacon
		322	Morgan County Route 55 - Falkville, Eva
	Hartselle	325	Thompson Road
		328	AL 36 - Hartselle
	Decatur Priceville	334	AL 67 - Decatur, Priceville, Somerville	Exit to reach Somerville.
Decatur Morgan-Limestone county line		20 px crosses the Tennessee River
Limestone	Decatur	340A	25 px 2 px 20 px 2 px 20 px 2 px 20 px 2 px Interstate 565 East/AL-20 East/U.S. Route 72 Alternate East - Huntsville	Exit to reach Huntsville International Airport and Madison.
		340B	20 px 20 px 2 px 20 px U.S. 72 Alternate West/AL 20 West - Decatur	Exit to reach Muscle Shoals.
	Athens	351	U.S. Route 72 - Athens, Huntsville
		354	U.S. 31 south - Athens	U.S. 31 joins northbound and exits southbound.
		361	Limestone County Route 100 (Sandlin Road) - Elkmont
		365	AL 53 East (7th Street/Upper Elkton Road) - Ardmore
Limestone County, Alabama-Giles County, Tennessee Border 20 px 2 px 20 px continues northward into Tennessee

Planned Projects

In the Birmingham/Hoover vicinity, a plan to widen the interstate from North Birmingham to Alabaster has been proposed. The project is to widen the interstate by adding a HOV lane and keeping the original 3 lanes making it four lanes in each direction. This is planned to stretch to the Pelham area. From there on the interstate will widen from 2 lanes each way to 3 lanes each way into the Helena/Alabaster area.